| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to investigate how the implementation of
technology in the classroom impacts third grade readers with high reading scores in the
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The secondary purpose was to
investigate the degree of teachers' technology integration in the third grade classroom,
including the use of computers, to increase literacy levels and teachers' awareness of
the overlap between the state's reading and technology standards. The population of
this study included 100 teachers from high-performing campuses in the following
South Texas independent school districts: Brownsville, McAllen, and Pharr-San Juan-
Alamo. Quantitative correlational techniques were used to address the purpose of the
study.
The following are the major findings of this study:
1. There was a positive relationship between the teacher skill level and the
level of technology integration in the classroom across all 60 respondents, leading to the conclusion that the districts are experiencing a developmental
progression in teachers' acquisition of knowledge and fluency regarding
technology skills and technology integration in the classroom.
2. The data revealed that teachers use technology more frequently to do
administrative record keeping and to communicate with other colleagues
rather than for direct classroom integration, such as lesson design,
instruction enhancement, and communication with students and parents.
3. Participants' responses provided some possible explanations for the status
of technology use across districts, listing as possible reasons lack of time for
professional development in a variety of applications and for teachers to
preview different kinds of software. They also mentioned lack of access to
computer connectivity provided by school/district, peripherals and software,
and other technology, and lack of technology support available to teachers
in the classroom.
4. Teachers are familiar with the state's technology standards and are
gradually making efforts to integrate technology while they teach the state
standards.
The study concluded by presenting a series of recommendations to improve
teachers' technology skill levels and the level of technology integration in the
classrooms. The findings of this study have implications for district-level decisionmaking
and site-level considerations in the use of technology in the reading
classrooms.
|
|---|
